


you didn't think you'd feel this way

by teztosterone



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Canon Divergence, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, One Shot, Pining, Tenderness, Yearning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-07-24
Packaged: 2020-07-12 13:17:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19946797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teztosterone/pseuds/teztosterone
Summary: but you've gotten closer and suddenly this seems inevitable.





	you didn't think you'd feel this way

**Author's Note:**

> so the last time i read hoo was like five years ago and honestly i dont remember much. i just know nico and leo shouldve fallen in love. for this fic nico is sixteen and leo is seventeen and they're still trying to fight gaea but it takes longer than a week it doesnt matter no one talks about it.

Nico's cabin got boring after a while. 

Well, the extra cabin he was assigned after the Seven realized he didn't quite fit. It wasn't actually his, nor did it feel like it one day would be. 

Lying in it, counting the number of planks on the ceiling, reminded him of being thrust into the Hermes cabin, only a lot quieter and less of a danger of getting stepped on. 

Quieter, yet boring. 

The cabin halls of Argo II were also boring, and risky, to pace down. Demigods are notoriously bad at sleeping through the night and the last thing Nico wanted was for Frank or Jason or, Gods forbid, Percy to hear him and ask what was wrong. 

There wasn't much. He just couldn't sleep.

Utility closets had interesting tools and pipes but were unfortunately cramped. Nico found he didn't like tight spaces any longer. Felt too much like being in a grave. 

He huffed out a small laugh on the floor of the kitchen, over eighty years old and still clinging to life. 

Nico could play games in the rec room. He still liked video games and Leo had set out retro ones like Pac-Man and Turbo. He made sure to keep the volume down, because what was more pathetic than someone walking in on him playing Mario Kart alone at four in the morning? 

Every once in a while he heard someone else traversing the ship. Lost souls drifting in the silence. 

“Two ships passing through the night,” he muttered to himself as he counted the number of toilet paper rolls in the third floor bathroom. 

Nico found he could pick out the footsteps of certain people. 

Heavy and anxious- that's Frank. Every once in a while there would be a flutter of wings or claws clacking on the floor. Practicing when no one else could watch him. Nico sat blending in with the shadows of the pool room, he could relate. 

Quick, pacing back and forth- there goes Annabeth. Nico’s heart broke slightly at the image of her working through something in her head, running her hands through her hair. If he got close enough, hiding in the dark, he could hear the mutters under her breath. He didn't do it often, though, Annabeth didn't deserve his spying. 

Piper walked leisurely, Nico could never figure out what she was doing or where she was going. 

Jason's were the most obvious. Even, strong footsteps. Nico heard his the least, though. He guessed Praetors, or just hardcore Romans in general, were trained to sleep throughout the night. 

Nico pondered being Roman as he heard Jason almost marching from one end of the ship to the other.  
Riches instead of death. 

He would miss Cerberus, he decided. The three headed dog was the only animal that seemed to like Nico. He wasn't sure if there was a Roman counterpart for him. 

But conjuring rubies from the ground would be pretty cool. Maybe better than skeletons, but skeletons could fight stuff for him. 

He shadowtraveled from the command center to the showers, plus he could do that.

Three nights in a row he sat on his belly in the stables and watched the ground below from the glass bottom. Decidedly his favorite place on the ship. One time he sat eating an orange piece by piece while counting the birds that flew by until the sun came up.

Thirteen. 

Nico decided it was a good thing. Besides, none of them were ravens. Or crows. 

When Festus got high into the clouds Nico lay on his side, ignoring the tears puddling on the glass. 

One night, three AM while he was drawing shapes in the fog on the mirror in the armory, Nico realized that, in all his sleepless wandering, he had never gone to the top of the ship. He wrinkled his nose. It would probably be cold outside. He would have to go back down and get his aviator jacket to throw over his black top and sweatpants. 

Worth it though, to see the stars, so he got himself together and stepped onto the deck. It was nice to breathe in, deep and free, the cold fresh air. His eyes teared up, but he grinned a little and blamed the wind. 

This was true solitude he decided. Not deep in a supply closet quieting his breaths, but out in the sky with everyone beneath him, sleeping and tossing and turning while he got to walk on the clouds, completely and utterly alo- fuck was that Leo?

Damn it, Nico sighed. Of course Leo was out there. Why wouldn't the most talkative, loudmouth person on this ship be awake? 

Nico braced himself for Leo to turn around and notice him, undoubtedly eager to start some inane conversation full of absolute bullshit.

Two weeks earlier, Nico was stuck for an entire thirty minutes as Leo detailed his dramatic and unnecessarily harrowing experience saving a beetle from being stepped on in the park. Admirable, sure, but Nico had really just wanted to drink his coffee in peace. 

Leo never turned around though and Nico thought he was in the clear. Speaking of, the sky was beautiful, and he could count every single star. Might as well stay outside, so what if Leo was there. 

Nico crept to sit against a crate out of view from his, now, sworn enemy. He rested his back against the wooden box and gazed up at the sky. It was almost dizzying, watching the entire galaxy above his head. 

Asteria, he thought, Nyx too. Artemis and Selene. The rare clouds passing by, that would be Zeus. 

He peeked a glance over at Leo. still facing away. Nico narrowed his eyes. 

Oh, he was at the helm, of course. But didn't Festus have automatic steering? 

“Autopilot is activated, baby,” Leo had decreed before getting absolutely wrecked in Super Smash Bros with Jason. 

Nico had wanted to play too but the atmosphere was too chummy and upbeat, he would have brought it down. 

Leo stood stoic and straight backed, both hands on Festus' control panel, occasionally flicking switches and pressing buttons, but mostly steering. Well, really just holding the wheel steady, not exactly a job that required such dedication. 

Nico tilted his head, why would he be out here, tonight of all nights, with no storms or fog in sight? Maybe there was some problem with the GPS, or something, and he would be gone tomorrow. 

Yes, Nico decided, tomorrow night Leo wouldn’t be there and he could hang out on the deck all by himself.

But the next night, Leo was there. As well as the night after that, and after that, and every night Nico stepped out into the fresh air, Leo was there. 

He never turned around, though, seemingly never noticing Nico was there. 

Nico liked not having to hold a conversation with him but was simultaneously appalled at Leo’s lack of awareness. You would think a demigod under constant threat of monster attacks would be able to sense when someone was around every night. 

Eventually it became funny to Nico, sitting in various places on the deck without Leo noticing. He started sitting closer and closer, daring Leo to turn around, and having to stifle a laugh every time he imagined the look of shock on his face when he did. Nico amused the hell out of himself playing this little game.

Until one night, Nico sitting on a bench six feet behind the helm, Leo turned around.

“Hey,” he said.

“H-hey,” Nico sputtered, feeling weirdly like he had been caught doing something dirty, “I was just-”

“You can sit near me y'know. You don't have to keep moving around every night.”

“Oh.” Nico furrowed his brows. “You knew I was here?”

Leo cocked his head, “Were you hiding? I just thought you wanted to be left alone.”

“Yeah, I mean, I guess... I thought you didn't know I was around.” 

“No. I knew.”

“Okay.”

Leo smiled, “Do you want me to shut up?”

“No, no,” Nico assured, quickly, “you're fine.” 

He frowned slightly, he had spent all this time avoiding Leo’s talking and now he was inviting it? Maybe he just felt bad. Leo was told to shut up a lot. 

“How long have you been out here?”

Nico shrugged.

“Dunno. The Moon was over there.” 

Leo followed Nico’s pointed finger towards a spot in the sky closer to the horizon and then turned back to face the front of the ship. 

“Hm,” Leo nodded. “Did you know the Moon has seas on it? Not like Earth ones, obviously, but wouldn't that be cool if it did? Like, imagine a child of Poseidon on the Moon, controlling the sea. That’s sick as fuck. Hey, do you think there's ever been a demigod astronaut? Had to have been a Zeus kid. Percy told me he was almost smited out of the air riding an airplane once, apparently Zeus doesn't like people in his territory. Makes you wonder what other famous people are demigods. Like, was the fastest Olympic runner a child of Hermes? That would probably be cheating though. I don't know, I like the idea of demigods using their powers out in the real world to be extraordinary, like superheroes.” 

He paused to take a breath.

“Anyways,” Leo said, “if the Moon was over there then you've been here roughly three hours.”

Nico struggled to comprehend all the information Leo had just given him. How could he go on talking for so long? And bounce around from thought to thought so quickly? Nico had ADHD, sure, but Leo put him to shame. 

He latched on to the last thing Leo said in order to contribute to the conversation.

“You can read time like that?”

“Oh yeah,” Leo glanced back at him with a quick smile, “got really into the Moon a couple years back. Well, when I was, like, nine. Space in general actually. Typical kid wanting to be an astronaut, y’know.”

Nico’s lips twitched upwards. That was pretty sweet. He himself had wanted to be a pirate. 

“I think you'd be a good one.”

“Really?”

“Really,” Nico nodded. 

“Thank you,” Leo said. “I do, too. I’m good with engineering and stuff.” 

He looked slyly over at Nico, a slight blush on his cheeks. People called Leo cocky and big headed, but here he was, shy about stating his talents. 

Nico left after that, claiming he was getting tired. Really he was starting to feel awkward around Leo. He wasn't used to speaking to him for so long. 

He soon got accustomed to it, though.

Every time he came up to the deck Leo would be there so it only seemed fitting they would talk. 

And at some point those nightly conversations became normal, and expected. Nico would toss and turn in his bed before giving up and going to the deck. Leo would already be steering Festus and Nico would sit next to him and they would talk. Banal shit, deep shit. 

Just talk.

It got easier and easier for Nico to open up to Leo. He started being freer with his words, his smiles. 

Leo caught on quick and did all he could to make Nico laugh. Dumb jokes and slapstick comedy. Most of it wasn't funny but Nico laughed anyways. It felt nice to. 

He had forgotten how pleasant it was to smile. 

Sometimes, when they would break off into yawns every other word, the two would agree to head back to their cabins for some sleep. 

Nico found that it was easy falling back asleep after his nightly chats with Leo. 

Most of the time, however, they stayed on the deck talking until the sun started to peek above the horizon. It was common for them to trail off mid sentence and stare at the sunrise, oranges and pinks and yellows breaking into the dulling deep blue. 

The other demigods would start to wake up after that, eventually making their way to the deck after breakfast for a status update. More often than not they would find Nico and Leo side by side in their pajamas, all wind tousled hair and sleepy yawns. 

Still talking.

At some point Leo stopped piloting the ship at all and just hung out with Nico. 

They made up ways to amuse themselves throughout the long night. They were two teenage boys and teenage boys like to have fun. 

Fun for Nico was games of hide and seek and hanging their heads off the side off Argo II and screaming into the rushing wind.

Fun for Leo was, apparently, elaborate games of role play. 

“I’m Naruto, you're Sasuke.”

Nico frowned.

“Perfect! You’re already in character!” 

No matter what they did, however, the two always ended up sprawled on the floor next to each other, fingertips almost touching. 

That was the way they ended one night after a particularly rigorous game of hide and seek.

Nico, unfairly if you asked Leo, took advantage of his shadowtravelling powers to make it a very long and difficult game. Leo had finally found Nico and chased him around the deck shrieking until he caught him. 

“Okay,” Nico gasped for breath, “let's take a break.” 

Leo dramatically collapsed to the ground and Nico laid down beside him, both boys’ chests heaving and hearts racing. They let out breathy chuckles and Leo turned over to look at Nico. 

“Hey.”

“Hey,” Nico smiled.

“Perhaps hey could be our always,” Leo threw his head back and burst into laughter while Nico watched him with pleasant confusion.

“What?”

Leo looked over in shock, “Dude, have you not seen The Fault in Our Stars?”

“No, what is that?”

Leo sat up, “Bro, have you been living under a rock?”

“Did you forget I was literally frozen in time for seventy years?”

Leo considered that. “Okay, fair point but still.” He flopped back down. “It’s iconic, we'll have to watch it.” 

“What did that mean though?”

“What did what mean?”

“That thing you said: ‘hey could be our always.’”

“Oh! Uh,” Leo suddenly became flustered and turned his head fully away, “you wouldn't understand unless you watched it.”

Nico didn't understand and probably wouldn't even if he did watch the movie but he liked the idea of having an “our.” He peeked a glance over at Leo’s blushing cheeks and smiled.

One night, around two AM, a meteor shower sang above their heads. Nico’s mouth dropped open in the middle of talking to gape up at the spectacle. Each bright meteor looked like embers from a flame sparking across the sky. 

Nico watched with reverence and sighed, “Wow.”

Leo, eyes wide and shiny, nodded in agreement.

“It’s like poetry,” he breathed.

That made Nico grin and look towards Leo, “Do you write poetry or something?”

“Sure,” Leo shrugged, still looking up, “used to. Scared and sad, bouncing from foster home to foster home. Had to get my emotions out somehow.”

“Well, I can understand that.”

Leo dropped his gaze to Nico, “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Poetry?”

“No, no,” Nico shook his head, “I, uh, drew. Got my angst out that way.”

Nico frowned, since when did he go around telling people that? He regretted the words as soon as Leo smiled from ear to ear.

“Can I see one?"

Nico rolled his eyes, “No you can not see my angsty thirteen year old drawings.”

“What if I showed you one of my poems?”

He tilted his head, “Tempting… but, besides, I don't have many. Doodles aren't something important I make sure I have before shadowtraveling.”

Leo narrowed his eyes. “I bet you have some in your room. You know I have keys to all the cabins right?”

“The cabins don't even have locks.” 

“You’re right, they don't. That doesn't seem very safe,” he said, conveniently ignoring the fact he designed the ship, “What if enemies boarded while we're sleeping?”

“I'm sure one of us would be awake to warn everybody. How often do you even stay in your cabin?”

Leo shrugged, turning away, “I try to take a nap once a day. When we're not out fighting monsters and shit. Other than that, I like to be out here. My cabin gets lonely.”

“And being alone out here doesn't?”

Leo glanced over at him.

“Well I’m not alone anymore, am I?” 

Nico looked down at this hands, “No. No, guess not.” 

Nico liked not being alone. He had the rest of the Seven, of course, but he never really felt like he was truly a part of them. They all had someone else, all had connections he didn't. 

He figured Leo could understand that. He seemed lonely. Despite all his bravado and flirting and whatever. 

Maybe that's why Nico started hanging out with him during the day, everyday. 

He learned all of Leo’s quirks and oddities. Like how he fiddled with scraps of metal when nervous and how he would tap random patterns on whatever he was touching. The table, the wall, his own arms. 

He babbled whenever the atmosphere was too quiet and would try to start a conversation with every stranger he met. He talked to himself too, all the time. Nico wondered how he didn't lose his voice every day. 

When Leo was excited, or thinking too intently about a problem, his body would heat up and sometimes catch flame. Usually the fire would burn until another demigod noticed and put him out, but now Nico was by his side to calm him down before the smoke alarms went off. 

Nico even decided to sit next to him at dinner, which seemed to delight Leo to no end. Now he could kick Nico’s legs, pile food onto his plate to “fatten him up,” and whisper inappropriate things in his ear trying to get him to do a spit take. Nico would have regretted the seating change if he didn't love messing with Leo right back. 

It got to the point where they became a pair. When dividing people up for missions, Nico was no longer randomly assigned a group or told to wait on the ship. Instead it was just assumed that he would be going with Leo. They stood together when getting debriefed, they left together and returned together, usually breathless and grinning. Missions were fun now that they each had a partner. Instead of awkwardly third wheeling one of the couples or trying to make it work with whoever they were forced with, Nico and Leo got the job done while having a good time.

Missions into cities or towns were their favorites. If they finished quickly, which they usually did, they got to just hang out and have some fun. Walking side by side on foreign streets, finding obscure cafes and restaurants and struggling through ordering, messing around in boutiques and usually getting kicked out. The other pairs would meet back on the ship tired or frustrated only to find Nico and Leo cracking up, ready to tell them about their wild adventures. 

The other demigods noticed their increasing closeness. 

Percy thought it was good for Nico to have a friend, someone he could let loose around. He never would have guessed it would be Leo, but stranger things have happened. 

Hazel felt the same, even if it was odd to see her brother joking with the boy who looked like her old crush. 

Piper, child of Aphrodite she was, thought it was adorable watching the two of them grow so close. She also took to calling them the Gruesome Twosome which Leo unsurprisingly adored. 

Jason was just glad Leo wasn't trying to crash his and Piper’s dates anymore. 

Whatever the circumstance, everyone agreed that the two boys were good for each other. 

They became Nicoandleo.

“Nicoandleo, your mission is to get to the fountain.”

“After Annabeth and I finish, we'll meet up with Nicoandleo.”

“Nicoandleo if you two don't shut the fuck up-.”

They became inseparable. Nico, who was notoriously known for needing his own space, intimacy problems y’know, became attached to Leo’s hip. He allowed Leo to throw an arm around his shoulders, ruffle his hair, even occasionally let Leo sit on his lap.  
Although he did spit out his drink the first time it happened, which was the goal and only made Leo do it all the more often.

On the demigods’ days off, Nico no longer felt awkward trying to join in on the fun. He started to feel right at home. Before, he would sit on the sidelines, alone and uncomfortable. Now he actively participated in the group, joking along with everyone. He even took to going on the seven’s special outings to relax and have a good time. 

One such outing was to a secluded beach in Croatia. The demigods had a chance to chill after many long battles and difficult missions and so they took it. 

Leo parked Argo II in the sea and they took row boats to the shore in pairs. 

Nico enjoyed watching Leo’s arms as he rowed.

Once all together, on the strip of sand between forest and sea, they set out a picnic and began their vacation day.

Nico and Leo sat cross legged on the grass together, basking in the sun and breathing in the salty air. Nico picked out the seeds in a slice of watermelon while Leo hunched over fiddling with pieces of metal. 

Percy and Annabeth chased each other on the shore of the sea, water splashing around their ankles, big grins and tossing hair. Piper and Jason lay together on a towel while Frank and Hazel sat side by side just barely touching legs and blushing profusely. 

“It’s a little teen movie isn't it.”

Nico looked over, concerned. Leo’s voice sounded grumpy.

“What do you mean?”

“All the boys and girls paired up and happy,” Leo said, frowning down at his hands, “neat and tidy.”

“I don't know,” Nico shrugged, “I wouldn't call it neat. What with all the Gods intervention and near death experiences.” 

Leo nodded slowly, “Yeah, every relationship has issues.”

“No, I mean,” Nico tried to explain, “the fact that they're still together. Have kept each other close. That’s not easy.”

He struggled to communicate what he was trying to say and huffed in frustration. 

“I would like to have someone to work to keep. To fight for someone. You know?” 

Leo looked up at him. Nico met his eyes and thought he saw something new in them.

“I’d like to have someone fight for me.” 

They both looked away and Nico blushed. 

Leo cleared his throat.

“Come on, I'm bored,” He stood up and held a hand out to Nico, “Wanna get out of here?”

“Where would we go?”

“I don't know. I'm always up for adventure. Let's go for a walk in the woods.”

And, really, Nico should have thought more before agreeing. Knowing them, they would probably get lost and have to wait for the others to rescue them. And there would most definitely be bugs and creatures inside the woods, maybe even monsters, which would make for a little too much adventure. 

Nevertheless, Nico was up for anything with Leo, and didn't have to think twice before accepting Leo’s outstretched hand. 

And for some reason he didn't let go of Leo’s hand after standing up. For some reason Leo tightened his grip and led him towards the woods. 

He waved a hand back at Hazel who was watching them go. Nico noticed her eyes flit down to their hands and back up at Nico. He gave her a small smile then turned back to walk side by side with Leo. 

The woods were cool and breezy. Birds chirped loudly and leaves rustled beneath their feet. 

Nico barely noticed though, too focused on the feeling of Leo’s hand on his. The feeling of his skin. 

Nico typically had ice cold hands and a strong aversion to touch. Leo’s hands were warm. Nico didn't want to let go.

He registered Leo was chatting about something, the comfortable sound of his voice muted by the heartbeat in his ears. 

Simply holding hands and Nico was practically undone. They were just friends walking through the woods together, it made sense to hold hands. You know, so they wouldn't get lost. That's all it was. 

So why was he blushing so much? 

They kept walking until they came across a large circular clearing. Leo looked over with raised eyebrows and Nico nodded. They walked towards the middle and sat down facing each other in the sunny grass. Hands still joined.

Nico looked down at them. 

“Your hands are so small.”

“What?” Nico’s head shot up. “No they're not!”

“Sure they are,” Leo said, holding up his other hand, “Look.” 

Nico rolled his eyes and pressed his palm to Leo’s. His hands weren't as big as Leo’s, sure, but that didn't make his hands small. Leo just had really nice, long fingers. 

Nico’s stomach twisted pleasantly. 

“See? Small.”

Nico huffed and dropped both of his hands into his lap. 

He felt weird all of a sudden, twisting his silver skull ring around his finger. Not weird like when he was holding hands with Leo, more antsy and almost vibrating with nerves. 

His fingers twitched in his lap and he could feel rather than see the dark energy starting to spark off them. 

“Woah,” Leo said, “someone's excited.”

Nico could hear the innuendo in Leo’s voice and rolled his eyes. The purple black shadows drifting from his fingers slithered around his hands and up his arms. 

“Dark energy,” Nico explained. “Looking for something dead.”

“I didn't know you could do that.”

Nico nodded, “Happens when I’m nervous usually.”

“Are you nervous now?”

He didn't know how to answer that. Yes and no. 

Yes, he's nervous because Leo’s skin on his feels almost too good and how is he supposed to deal with that?

No, he's never nervous around Leo.

He decided not to answer. 

“It doesn't scare you? All the dead stuff?”

Leo grinned, “Death doesn't frighten me, baby. It’s in my blood. You, on the other hand, you scared me half to death when we first met.”

“You,” Nico drawled, “Scared of me.” 

“Yeah dude, acting all creepy and emo, I thought you were gonna shadowtravel me to Hell if I looked at you funny.”

“You looked at me funny all the time!”

“I know,” Leo shot back, “You didn't talk to me! And, like, how was I supposed to handle that? Me of all people?”

Nico snorted. The dark energy retracted back into his fingertips, twisting and contracting as it went. 

They watched it go.

“You still don't talk that much but that's okay,” Leo said. 

“I talk a lot more now.” 

“Yeah,” Leo laughed, “I’m a bad influence.”

“I don't know if I would say bad… just strange.”

That made Leo laugh even louder. That was one way to put their relationship. Strange like ghosts and fire. 

“Hey,” he mused, “did Hephaestus and Hades ever work together on anything?” 

Nico thought about it. 

“I don't know. They have the same level of intelligence in Mythomagic,” he offered. 

Leo scrunched his nose. 

“Really? You’d think Hephaestus would have more.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Leo threw his hands up placatingly. His body started moving in that cocky, self assured way it does when he's being a smart ass. 

“Nothing, nothing. Just doesn't seem like you'd need to be a genius to be the god of dead people is all I’m saying.” 

“Oh, and being the god of fire does,” Nico tossed back. 

“Metalworking and sculpture and shit! Not just fire,” Leo pointed a finger to his temple, “You need smarts to plan and execute all that. Not like keeping ghosts underground.” 

Nico grinned. He loved fake arguments with Leo. They would “fight” about the most inane shit all the time just for fun. The other demigods hated it, except for Annabeth who was known to join in.

After a particularly heated disagreement about the proper pronunciation of the word ‘bruschetta,” Percy banned “playful” arguments at the dinner table. 

But they weren't at the dinner table now. 

Nico furrowed his eyebrows and threw up two fists.

“Keep talking and my dad is gonna beat you up.” 

Leo laughed, “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Whose dad has a higher strength level?”

“Shut up!”

They trailed off into giggles and there were a few moments of blissful silence. Nico watched a bee float overhead, the wind blew gently around the clearing, all was right in the world. 

And then Leo spoke.

“Bet my powers are cooler than yours.” 

“As if,” snorted Nico, ready to jump back in, “I can literally create an army of skeletons to do my bidding. And teleport. And-.” Leo cut Nico off from listing his admittedly extensive amount of powers. 

“Well I am literally fireproof and I can create fire, the only living Hephaestus son to do so. You have to admit that's a little cooler.” 

“Shut up, so you can blacksmith without gloves. That’s not anywhere near as interesting as mine.” 

“At least my powers aren't fueled by being emo.” 

Nico gasped, “They are not-.”

“Here, look.” Leo stood up, brushed grass off his knees, and held out his hand to Nico. “Let’s prove it.”

Nico looked up confused, “Huh?”

“Show off. If your powers are so awesome, show me what you can do.” 

That made Nico grin, his competitive side coming alive. He grabbed Leo’s hand and was pulled up. 

“You really want to lose?” 

“This competition I made up? I’m not going to.”

“Whatever.” 

Nico backed up, smirking a little. Leo was cute when he got feisty but, c’mon, all he had was fire. Anybody with a match and some gasoline could do the same. 

He liked having Leo’s eyes on him as he walked backwards. Competition really got him going. 

The shadows got deeper and darker the further out of the clearing he got until suddenly he wasn't in front of Leo anymore. 

He called out, “Over here!” and shadowtraveled away as Leo turned around to find him. He moved quickly, fluidly, making Leo turn in circles looking for him. 

“Okay,” Leo said, “Okay, I get it. Where’d you go?” 

Nico laughed from atop a tree branch and disappeared as soon as Leo caught his eye. He shadowtraveled right behind Leo, who had walked backwards into the trees looking for him. 

“You’re getting too close to my neck of the woods,” he whispered in Leo's ear, blending in with the shadows behind him at the edge of the clearing. 

Leo turned around quickly and Nico smirked.

“Were you looking for me?”

Leo rolled his eyes, “Okay edgy boy, it's my turn.”

“You really think you can top that?” 

“I don't think you've seen all I can do. Actually, I don't think any of you have. It’s pretty intense.”

Nico looked into his eyes.

“I’m sure I can handle it.”

He said it a little too softly. A little too fondly. Leo's eyes widened a little and then he smiled.

“C’mon,” he murmured, “let's get away from the trees. Don't want them burning.”

He grabbed Nico’s hands and walked them backwards until they stood in the middle of the clearing. 

A beat too long, bodies a little too close, before he dropped their hands and took a step back.

“Okay,” Leo hopped a little, “watch and learn, baby.”

He flourished a hand out and on his right palm rested a small flame. It danced around, soft yellow and orange. He raised his eyebrows at Nico.

“Impressed?”

Nico opened his mouth to retort when Leo’s entire arm burst into flames. Sweat immediately beaded on Nico’s forehead and he stepped backwards.

“Gods, warn a guy first.”

Leo laughed, loud and pleased, “You ain't seen nothing yet.” 

He spread his legs and crouched forward a bit, bracing himself. His left hand caught fire and the flames crawled up his arm until both were ablaze and, with a sudden movement, he reached towards the sky and fire burst forth like a blowtorch. 

“Okay,” Nico breathed, “that's pretty cool, I’ll give you that.” 

Leo didn't respond, just pushed the fire higher and higher before bringing it to a stop, both hands now in front of him, palms up. 

“I was just warming up,” he said. “If I go too much too fast, I get a little dizzy.”

Nico tilted his head as Leo took several steps further back. He watched as he closed his eyes and breathed in deep, one, two, three.

Leo’s eyes snapped open and in an instant his entire body was on fire. Thick, hot flames coursed around him, on him. His deep brown eyes looked orange, red, yellow. 

His smile looked bulletproof.

He stood in a blaze. Fire streaming all around him, each peal of it making the flames grow higher and higher, the core a hot, vibrant blue. 

Nico watched as Leo shot fire from his palms into the sky, bringing it down and around his body, moving it like it was a sentient creature. Embers danced in the air and sparks burst from his skin. 

Nico watched them die out.

It felt like seeing a monster.

It felt like love. 

The breath in Nico’s chest rushed out of him and he fell backwards, tripping on his feet. He blamed the heat and clutched his stomach. The world was ending in Leo's eyes but still he stood tall. 

He stood in a blaze. 

He shouldn't have been alive. Demigod powers beside, the sheer amount, the sheer white-hot heat of the flames, seemed catastrophic. 

Nico held his heart in his throat and reached a hand out to Leo. 

“You win, come on. I don't want to have to dive into Tartarus and get you. Put the fire out.”

Leo looked at him and grinned, large and fierce, “You’d dive into Tartarus for me?”

“I would go anywhere for you.”

“Do you trust me?”

Nico wanted to say no. He decided to tell the truth instead. 

“Yes.”

“I found out I can do a cool trick. Like Percy does in the water. Come closer.”

Closer to the raging fire. Closer to the supernova crashed to Earth. Closer to Leo. 

“It’s too much.” 

“It’s not with me. Come closer, Nico.”

“Is it going to hurt?” 

Nico took a step forward. 

He had to cross the clearing to get to him. The heat told him to stop. The flames roared to walk away.

‘I’ll never hurt you,” Leo promised, gesturing Nico closer and closer, “That's it, baby. C’mon!”

The fire flew above Nico’s head and rushed around his body. There should have been no way he could breathe but he stuttered out a gasp. Almost in spite. In spite of every fiber of his being telling him that this was deadly, he was breathing. 

He looked up at Leo. Leo stood before him, he stood in a blaze, and grabbed his hands. From the outside it would look like they were dying, like the apocalypse itself burning, but Nico had never felt more alive. 

He threw his head back and screamed. 

Leo watched. 

And Nico broke off into whooping laughs.

And Leo kissed him. 

Leo kissed him in a blaze. 

It felt like dying, it felt like the end of the world.

It felt like love. 

The walk back to the ship was giggly. They walked too close, bumping shoulders and turning their faces towards each other. Percy kept shooting them confused looks from the front. Jason gave Nico an odd smile and then pulled Piper away from making suggestive faces at Leo. 

Leo didn't seem to register it. Just kept smiling at Nico and letting their hands touch accidentally. 

By the time Festus was back in the air and everyone else was below deck getting ready for bed, Nico and Leo couldn't keep their hands off each other. 

For the first night in a long while, they didn't stay up on the deck. Leo pulled Nico by his hand, giggling and shushing whenever they got too loud, to his cabin. Part of Nico felt scandalous, which only added to the hilarity of it all. He was being taken into a boy’s room.  
Alone.

They reached Leo’s cabin and he opened the door with a wink towards Nico. Nico rolled his eyes and pushed him in, laughing quietly. 

Leo’s cabin was dark, and surprisingly neat, from the small glance Nico got of it before he was lightly pushed against the door, closing it with a click. 

Leo’s lips were on his instantly and Nico melted. 

Melted into the door and ran his hands through the back of Leo’s hair. Leo seemed to like that and pushed their bodies closer together. 

Nico broke away and breathed against Leo’s lips. 

“Do you do this often? Take boys back to your room?”

Leo smirked, “Why? You gonna get jealous?”

“Oh, don't worry, I’m already jealous of the… are those One Direction posters?”

Leo gasped and tossed his head back. 

“Okay, that is an inside joke between me and Piper, how do you even- since when do you know pop culture shit?” 

Nico laughed and leaned forward to give him a quick kiss. 

“Relax, I'm messing with you.”

“Hm,” Leo sniffed, “I invite you into my cabin and this is how you treat me.”

Nico rolled his eyes and pushed Leo’s chest. 

They disconnected from the door and moved over to Leo’s bed. Leo sat down on the end and Nico promptly placed himself in his lap. 

Leo laughed. “Comfortable?”

Nico hummed and kissed the freckles on Leo’s nose and cheeks. There were so many, like stars in a constellation, and he made it his mission to count them. One, two, three, Leo started giggling, four, five, six. 

He lost count somewhere around thirty-five and made his way back towards Leo’s lips. 

Leo didn't seem to mind. Just let his hands follow Nico’s spine and pressed his fingers in between Nico’s ribs.

Nico had never been touched like that before.

Leo's fingertips were fire on his skin, trailing across the back of his neck and dancing on his back, curling the front of his shirt and pressing on his stomach. His chest. For someone so used to the cold, damp shadows, feeling the pure warmth of Leo's touch was godlike. His kiss was ambrosia. Nico curled his hands in Leo’s hair and ate. Bit Leo's lips ever so slightly and laughed when he jerked back and furrowed his eyebrows. 

“Not very nice.” 

“Too nice,” Nico countered. “You like it.”

Leo ran his hands down Nico’s sides and huffed out a laugh, “So sure of yourself.” 

“Well, you seem to be having a good time.”

Leo grinned and flipped Nico onto his back on the bed, crawling over him, “Baby, I have a good time whenever you're around.” 

Nico burst into laughter. “Cheesy motherfucker.” 

Leo leaned down and kissed the tip of his nose. He looked at him with a warmth Nico felt spread across his whole body. 

“It's true.” He kissed Nico’s cheek, “You make me really happy.” 

Nico’s heart beat quicker at that. Making someone happy instead of nervous or sad. He liked that. 

He liked Leo. 

Eventually the two of them got tired of kissing and laid on their sides facing each other. 

The ship was quiet except for a low mechanical hum. 

Leo traced Nico’s cheekbone with the back of his hand and searched his eyes. 

They lay there together, bodies intertwined. So different from how they started, so new to both of them.

So intimate.

Nico’s eyes started to droop closed. He was drowsy and warm and comfortable, Leo’s body a source of heat pressed up against him. 

He was almost asleep when he became aware of Leo tapping gently against his back. A funny little pattern, over and over, softly. 

.. / .-.. --- ...- . / -.-- --- ..-

“What's that,” Nico murmured, eyes still closed.

Leo stopped for a second and then started the tapping back up. 

.. / .-.. --- ...- . / -.-- --- ..-

“Nothing,” he whispered, “Go to sleep.”

Nico cracked his eyes open, “Feels like morse code.”

He was fortunate there was enough light to see Leo blush and sputter, fingers abruptly getting even warmer.

“You know morse code?”

“No. Not enough to know what you're saying anyways.”

“Oh,” Leo relaxed. “Good. It's nothing. Just a little thought.”

Nico’s eyes closed again and he snuggled closer.

“Feels nice.” 

“Good,” Leo kept tapping, “Good night.”

.. / .-.. --- ...- . / -.-- --- ..-

Nico opened his eyes once more. 

“Hey,” he whispered.

“Hey.”

“I really like you.”

Leo tapped his thought on Nico’s back a little quicker then stopped, resting his palm flat. He met Nico’s gaze.

“I really like you too.”

“Okay,” Nico said softly, eyes slipping shut. “Good night.”

It was so easy to fall asleep in each other’s arms. Nico breathed in the crook of Leo’s neck as Leo’s chest rose and fell in time.

They were safe together. 

And they slept until morning. 

.. / .-.. --- ...- . / -.-- --- ..-


End file.
